Song Analysis

Patsy Cline was born on September 8, 1932 in Winchester Virginia, to the parents of Hilda Patterson and Samuel Lawrence Hensley. She was born by the name of Virginia Patterson Hensley, but later became Patsy Cline. Her father, Samuel, had to children from an earlier marriage named Tempie Glenn, and Randolph which became Patsy’s half sister and half brother. Because her family moved about twenty times before Patsy was in eighth grade, she did not really have a place where her childhood began. When Patsy was little, she was into dancing and had her dreams set to become a dancer. The person who inspired her the most was Shirley Temple. Not expecting to win, Patsy’s mother entered her into a dancing contest when she was little and Patsy ended up winning first prize. Soon after, she had lost interest in dancing and turned her dreams completely to music. First, Patsy enjoyed playing piano but then she decided she liked singing instead. Although Patsy had never learned notes and never knew what key she was singing, she still sounded okay. Patsy’s singing career started when she was thirteen years old in her church choir. Around the age of thirteen Patsy got terrible sick where her she had a terrible infection in her throat and her heart actually stopped beating. Her doctor had decided to put her into an oxygen tent and Patsy claims this was just the turn point to her career. She started in local radio shows, singing at dances. Patsy also had the advantage of meeting the right people which had gotten her a record deal. In the year of 1953, Patsy had married Gerald Cline.

Patsy Cline’s song “I Fall to Pieces” is a song about her break up with a boy who she can no longer stand to see because; he brings so much pain to her heart. There are examples of hyperboles, imagery, alliteration and rhyme scheme. The main example of hyperbole in this song is in the title “I Fall to Pieces.” This is a hyperbole because Patsy is saying how every time she sees this boy, she falls to pieces yet, it is physically impossible to fall to pieces. In the last line of the second stanza, Patsy shows some imagery by saying “You walk by and I fall to pieces.” Here, you get a picture in your head of someone walking by Patsy and seeing her heart melt because she knows it is over. In the third stanza, Patsy shows some alliteration. “Each time someone speaks your name, I fall to pieces.” This is showing consonance alliteration with the two words someone and speaks. Consonance alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant two or more times. The words someone and speak are both words that start with s therefore, they are the repetition of a consonant. There are also many rhyme schemes shown in this song. In the first stanza, the second and fourth line rhyme. “Each time I see you again,” and “How can I be just your friend?” The words again and friend make this a rhyme scheme because both words at the end of the sentence rhyme. In the second stanza, both the second and third lines rhyme. “You want me to forget, pretend we never met.” and “And I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I haven’t yet.” These two lines both end with words that end in “et” which makes this too a rhyme scheme. The second and fourth lines rhyme in the third stanza of Patsy Clines song “I Fall To Pieces.” The two lines state; “Each time someone speaks your name,” and “Time only adds to the flame.” The words name and flame both end in the “ame” sound making them rhyme. Finally, in the last stanza of the song, the second and third lines rhyme. “Someone who will love me too, the way you used too.” and, “But each time I go out with someone new,” both lines end with the same sound making this stanza rhyme also.

It may have been said that Patsy Cline had a bad childhood but, clearly she made the best of it. Because Patsy’s mother was only sixteen when she gave birth to her, they were more like sisters that mother and daughter. Also, Patsy transformed to a girl who had no idea what she wanted to do with her life to this amazing singer/song writer. Patsy had been through a lot, from a terrible illness that led to her singing career, to a head on car collision Patsy had gotten into with her brother Sam that nearly killed her and ended her singing career. Sure Patsy started off as an ordinary tone-deaf person who didn’t even know what hitting a not meant but, look where she is now. In conclusion Patsy Cline is arguably one of the best singers from the 1960’s.